A wonderful increase of popularity has lately attended the
art of walking. The steady improvement made in speed and
endurance by professional and amateur walkers and the introduction
of international contests have brought this about
within a few years.

When the firm of Beadle and Adams published their first
Dime book of Pedestrianism, the only American walker of
reputation was Edward Payson Weston. The record of professionals
and amateurs had then developed nothing greater
than the performances of Captain Barclay of England, who
first did a thousand miles in a thousand hours. Weston's
famous walk from Portland to Chicago caused the only ripple
of excitement in the sporting world on the subject of walking
from the time of Barclay up to 1870.

Since that period, things have changed greatly. Weston's
achievements have inspired others, and those others have not
only equaled but excelled Weston on many occasions. The
names of O'Leary, Rowell, Corkey, and "Blower" Brown,
all men born in the British Islands, have been recorded above
those of Weston at different times; but it remains to the glory
of the American pedestrian that in 1879 he beat them all.

All these changes and ups and downs in pedestrianism for
the last ten years have made the old books obsolete, and the
publishers of the former Dime Book of Pedestrianism have
determined to issue a new edition, fully up to the times in all
respects.

Besides practical instructions in walking, founded on the
different styles of noted professionals, we shall annex much
matter never before put in a handbook, concerning the preparation
of tracks, measurements, timing and scoring, for the
information of that large class of people living in country
towns and villages, who have plenty of walkers, but no experience
in the conduct of matches, and no opportunity to see
how things are done in first class matches.

Every one can walk, but not every one can become a great
walker. Any young man of good health and strength can
learn to walk five miles in an hour, but the number of men
who can walk twenty-five miles in five hours is very small,
and will always remain so. If we take the population of any
town or village we shall find that out of every hundred young
men from eighteen to twenty-five years of age, there are
about sixty more or less given to athletic sports, twenty
who are very enthusiastic about them, and six or eight who
would make good walkers, runners and general athletes. Of
this six or eight, there is generally one who is better than his
fellows, and he becomes the village champion in one sport or
another.

This is about the true proportion—one per cent—of the
young male community, that is capable of being taken at
random and converted into good professional walkers. A
general system of early physical training would soon increase
this proportion, but as we are never likely to see any such
system adopted we must be content with what we can get.
Out of those capable of becoming great walkers and striving
to become so, the proportion of second rate men is quite
large.

There have been great long-distance walkers before, and
probably will be again; but a man of the peculiar constitution
of Edward Payson Weston is very seldom met with.
Other men have, at times, beaten him; but he has outstayed
them all at last in endurance. No other athlete on record has
remained among contestants of the first-class for so many
years, for be it remembered that Weston's career as a walker
began on Thanksgiving Day, 1867, the day on which he arrived
at Chicago from Portland, and that so late as 1879, twelve
years after, he was able to do 550 miles in a week against the
best men of England, at a time when his latest rival, O'Leary,
had utterly broken down. Ten years after his first appearance
on the track, he was able to give O'Leary, in his prime, a
tough battle, making 510 miles in six days, and none of his antagonists
can say as much for themselves.

The average duration of a great long-distance man, whether
walker or runner, seems to be about two years. It was in 1876
that O'Leary came to the top of the wave, and in 1879 he went
under. Weston alone keeps on, apparently as fresh at forty
as he was at twenty-six.

All this argues in Weston very great physical power and
strictly temperate habits, and he possesses both in a remarkable
degree.

There, however, the praise ends. As a scientific walker,
Weston is inferior, not only to O'Leary, but even pitted
against such amateurs as Harry Armstrong, of Harlem, C.
Bruce Gillie, of the Scottish-American Club, or a dozen others[11]
we could name. When he was in his best form, about 1874-5,
it was the remark of an English trainer, that Weston was "a
mystery to him; that he didn't see how he could walk at all
on the bad system he used, and that any other man would
have broken down utterly in the attempt." Weston used to
get through his tasks, and does still, but only at the cost of
terrible fatigue, which he might have saved himself on a better
system.

O'Leary, on the other hand, is an example of how the best
training, constitution and system may be neutralized and overthrown
by over-confidence and dissipation. As a scientific
walker, O'Leary has no equal, and were he of the same temperate
habits as Weston, he might still head the list as world's
champion. As it is, the rows of empty champagne bottles
that were taken from his tent at Gilmore's, when he broke
down in the Rowell match, were the evidence and symbol of
his ruin.

It was not in his case, as he said in the Spirit of the Times,
that "runners can beat walkers." O'Leary, himself, in four
or five matches, had beaten all the time ever made by runners,
save that of "Blower" Brown; but the O'Leary of those days
had succumbed to high living, and a poor excuse was better
than none.

Yet, the man's system was, and is, magnificent, and enabled
him to do respectable work against Hughes and Campana,
when he really was not fit to go at all.

Had he possessed Weston's temperate habits, or had Weston
possessed O'Leary's science as a walker, the result would have
been a pedestrian wonder that would have lasted many years
longer than O'Leary.

The success of Weston and O'Leary in their long-distance
walks in England surprised the Britons greatly. Up to the
time of Weston's appearance in that country, Englishmen had
been accustomed to consider themselves the best walkers in
the world; but the two Americans—the native and the naturalized—soon
took the conceit out of them. The best English
long-distance walkers were Peter Crossland and Henry
Vaughan, who had both done excellent work in matches of
the kind then practiced in England. But the introduction of
six-day contests, first started by Weston, put these professionals
on unfamiliar ground, and they found that a man who
could walk a hundred miles in one day was not able to
cope with these American wonders, who could finish five
hundred miles in six days. The Englishmen laid their defeat[12]
to the right cause—unfamiliar methods; and Sir John Astley,
a rich sporting baronet, to put both parties on an equality,
introduced the six-day "go-as-you-please" match, soon to
supersede all others. It was thought that runners would have
the advantage over walkers in this match. Their backers
claimed that by going over the ground faster they would gain
more time for rest, and so in the end go further. The first
Astley Belt match falsified all their data. In the famous contest
at Agricultural Hall, London, from March 18th to March
23d, 1878, Daniel O'Leary covered 520 1-4 miles, in 139 hours
6 minutes 10 seconds, confining himself to walking after the
first fifty miles. He had against him the great English long-distance
runners and the best long-distance walker, Vaughan,
all of whom he defeated decisively. Vaughan stopped at 500
miles—a score he has never since equaled—"Blower" Brown
retired at 477, and "Corkey," who had things all his own way
for the first three days, broke down utterly on the fourth;
while Hazael and Rowell were earlier satisfied that they had
no chance.

In the same year O'Leary defeated with ease John Hughes
and Peter Napoleon Campana, surnamed "Sport," both runners,
and seemed to be secure of holding the Astley belt for
life. Indeed, had he not, like most sporting men, been deceived
by the exaggerated reports of Campana's prowess, he
might be champion to-day.

The reason for this statement is simple. Campana's Bridgeport
record, as it turned out from after investigation, was a
deliberate fraud, got up by some low sporting men, who probably
did not at first dare to hope for the success which it
attained. They began by running their man on a short track,
and when that fraud was discovered made a merit of having
the course publicly remeasured by the city surveyor. The
more important part of the fraud was not discovered till after
"Sport's" ignominious defeat by O'Leary, and then only by
the confession of his Bridgeport scorers and time-keepers. It
turned out that they had been crediting him with laps never
run, and that they had employed men to personate him, late
at nights, when he was really asleep, these men running for
him. By means of these fraudulent representations they rolled
up such a score for Campana that he was credited with
521 miles in a six-day match.

O'Leary, who, besides his Hughes match, had been giving
several 400-mile walks, knew that he was no longer in condition
to walk against a good man for the championship, and
therefore made the match one for money alone. Had he allowed
the belt to be in the stakes there is no doubt that he
would have won it for the third and last time, when he would
have become its absolute possessor.

In the meantime, however, the runners in England had been[13]
improving their style immensely, for in the second Astley
match, beginning Oct. 28th, and closing Nov. 2d, 1878, William
Gentleman, (alias "Corkey,") made 520 2-7 miles in 137
hours, 58 min., 20 sec.; thus beating O'Leary's distance by a
trifle, and his time by more than an hour. This match it was
that raised the spirits of Sir John Astley, and induced him to
send over Rowell (who made 470 miles in the same match) to
beat O'Leary. Sir John knew what he was about, and had
kept O'Leary in view all the year.

The scores of the American champion's matches with
Hughes and Campana, showed that the man was failing, and
if so, Rowell was good enough to beat him, as there was no
other really formidable walker in America; so Astley judged,
and correctly, too.

The victory of Rowell over the American walkers caused
an instantaneous revulsion of public sentiment in favor of
runners, a revulsion artfully increased by O'Leary's widely-published
dictum that the runners were always "bound to
beat the walkers." This, however, was not by any means
proven at that time. The real truth was that champagne,
not Rowell, beat O'Leary; and Rowell's record in the race
was twenty miles short of the champion's best walking record.
The other competitors in the match were simply not first-class
men.

The cause of the runners has, however, received a fresh
impetus since Rowell's victory by the still more remarkable
feat of "Blower" Brown (always a "good man") who in the
third Astley belt match, April 22d-27th, 1879, made the amazing
distance of 542 miles in 140 hours.

Finally the veteran Weston beat even Brown's record by
the superlative score of 550 miles over the same track, opposed
to Brown himself and Hazael.

Since that time Brown has made 553 miles over the same
track, and a negro lawyer from Boston named Hart has made
565 miles in Madison Square Garden, finishing April 10, 1880.

As the record now stands, in contests where almost super-human
endurance and speed are required, ordinary runners
may win, but only at the expense of a waste of physical
energy that a scientific walker does not suffer. They go faster
and manage to live through the contest, but that is all. The
introduction of "go-as-you-please" contests, has, however,
given rise to a new style of long-distance running, which is
as strictly scientific as professional walking, and to these two
branches of pedestrianism let us now devote our attention.

Every one walks more or less, but very few understand the
principles of scientific walking. The science consists in two
things: 1st. How to acquire the longest stride practicable to
the physique of the walker; 2d. How to distribute the weight
of the body so that the greatest effort shall be made with the
least possible exertion.

THE UNSKILLED WALKER

Many walkers acquire the first part of this science, and
some understand the second division of the subject, but very
few can combine the two, like O'Leary. For short-distance
matches, in which contests up to twenty-five miles are included,
the number of scientific walkers is reasonably large,
both among professionals and so-called amateurs. They almost
all walk on a correct system, similar to that of O'Leary,
but inasmuch as their exertions do not last so long a time,
they can afford to make them more vigorous. If their stride
be no longer, proportionately, than that of O'Leary, the number
of steps per minute taken by them is greater, and they
cover the ground at a rate that no untrained person can equal
without breaking into a trot.

The rate at which the best of them can go is shown by the
marvelous feats of Perkins, the English champion, who has
the record of a mile walked in six minutes and twenty-three[15]
seconds, and eight miles walked in an hour, less fifty-five seconds.
Such performances show that Perkins can out-walk any ordinary
road-horse going on a trot. Even an amateur of our
own country—T. H. Armstrong—has walked seven miles in
fifty-six minutes. It is needless to say that no untrained person
could equal this, four miles an hour being very sharp
walking to most people; and it becomes a matter of interest
to know how the professionals do it, and how their walk differs
from that of an unskilled man.

THE PROFESSIONAL

The sight of a walking-match does a good deal toward explaining
the mystery, and the foregoing cuts will show the main
points of difference between the skilled and unskilled pedestrian.

The unskilled amateur, who sets out to walk fast, generally
makes several grave mistakes. He leans his body forward,
bends his back, lowers his head, swings his arms at full
length, and allows his knees to bend. The consequence is
that when he is doing his very best his attitude is very much
like that in the first cut, depicting the unskilled walker.

There is no question that the poor fellow is doing his best,[16]
and very little doubt that he can not last long at the rate he is
going.

Contrast with this figure that of the second cut, showing a
professional in full stride. You are at full liberty to laugh at
the figure, for there is no question that it has strong elements
of the ludicrous; but for all that it is not exaggerated, and
such attitudes may be seen in every last short-distance match.

Now it is time to note the points of difference between the
two men and to show where the professional has the advantage
over the other.

First note that a perpendicular line dropped from the
center of each man's chest between the shoulders to the ground,
and continued upward through his head would represent
the line in which his weight falls. Draw such a line and you
will find that in the case of the unskilled walker it strikes the
ground close to his forward heel, while his head is in advance
of it. Consequently he has to support the weight of his head,
with all the disadvantage of leverage, by muscular exertion,
and the strain must fall on his back.

In the professional, on the other hand, the weight falls on
a nearly perpendicular column through the body, which is in
balance, striking the ground midway between the points of
support—the feet. If the man were to stop just where he is,
he is in a position to resist a shove either forward or back. A
smart push from behind would infallibly send our unskilled
friend on his nose.

Note also that the professional's body, if anything, inclines
backward, and think of the reason. Remember that when in
rapid motion there is always a strong tendency to fall forward
with the upper part of the body, a consequence of its
weight and momentum. The balance of the body can therefore
be sent a little back of the line which would be proper
when standing still, to counteract the force of this momentum.

So much for distribution of weight.

Next note that the professional has both legs straight, and
can therefore take a greater stride than any one with bent
knees. Note, moreover, that he plants his heel first at the
very extremity of his stride, and thus gains on every step the
whole length of his foot, for after the heel is planted the toe
comes down in advance by its own weight without labor.
If he were to point his toe downward, as in the military
"goose-step," he would lose all this advantage as soon as the
foot was planted.

Our next remark is that whereas the tyro swings his arms
full length with open hands the professional clenches his
fists and bends his arms double.

With this same action of the arms comes another of the
shoulders, which is of great importance. The working of
the shoulders in fast walking is a natural and almost ineradicable[17]
habit. A fast walker will swing his arms, no matter how
he is cautioned. We have seen many a drill master driven to
despair by the swinging of arms of a marching squad, after
all his cautions. The fact is, the swing is right and the drill master
wrong. The faster a man walks, the more his shoulders
swing, by an effort of nature to lift the weight of his
body from the rear foot and to let it down on the front heel
as lightly as possible. The usual way of accomplishing this
result is to swing the arm at full length, but this fatigues the
walker in two ways: first, by the resistance of the air to the
arm, cutting it; second, by the leverage of the hand at the
end of the arm, which has to be counteracted by the shoulder
muscles. Both these effects are obviated by the simple
expedient of bending the arm in proportion to the speed, and
clenching the hand. When at top speed, the forearm of the
advanced shoulder should be perpendicular, that of the rear
shoulder horizontal, and as the speed decreases so should
the angle of the arms become less acute. The difference in
speed and ease of movement between a walker who holds up
his arms and one who lets them swing full length is very
striking, and our readers can try for themselves the experiment
of walking in both ways, noting the advantage given
by holding up the arms. In a race, it is a point that soon
tells.

Lastly we must give one special caution with regard to taking
the cut for an exactly accurate representation of what a
man should do in order to become a fast walker. As the
artist has finished the figure, many people might imagine that
he had just made a spring from the toes of the left foot, which is
in rear. This should not be done, as any weight sent on the
toes soon tires out the walker, and although the foot is bent
as in the cut, the weight is taken off the toes by working the
shoulders. In fact as an English writer has well said, modern
professional walking is a series of springs from heel to
heel.

There are some other points in scientific walking which require
the assistance of diagrams to explain them, and these
concern the position of the feet best calculated to secure a
long stride at the least expense of physical exertion.

If there is anything in scientific walking that is puzzling to
a civilized beginner, it is the things taught him in childhood
which he is now compelled to unlearn. A young savage who
has never had any lessons in "deportment," walks correctly
enough, though he does not generally care to exert himself
sufficiently to make good time at that pace, preferring the
"dog-trot." But so far as he walks, he always walks correctly,
with a hollow back, stepping from heel to heel, his arms
bent, his head thrown back, his toes turned in. The civilized
boy, on the other hand, has a bad lesson given to him as soon
as he can talk. He is told to "turn his toes out."

Now it so happens that if you take two men, equally good
walkers, and let one turn his toes out, the other in, the "parrot-toed"
man is sure to beat the other in the long run.

The reason for this statement will be made plain by looking
at the following cut and reflecting on a few facts in connection
therewith.

TWO METHODS OF WALKING

In the upper figure we have the foot tracks of a man walking
with his toes turned out; in the lower one the same foot
takes the same stride "parrot-toed." Note that both start
with heels on the same line, and that before a step is taken,
the man who turns out his toes has lost nearly an inch of
forward progress, his toes not touching the same line
as that reached by the other, who carries his feet straight.
With the close of the first step the difference increases, both
parties taking the same stride, measured from toe to toe. The parrot-toed
man sets his heel down in advance of the other's heel,
and gains a further advantage by the greater reach of his
toe at every step.

The gain of the parrot-toed man is thus shown to be constant
when both parties use the same exertion, and must
always give him the race, other things being equal.

But there is another loss in turning the toes out, which is
not less important, and which is shown by the position of the
large black spots in the cut. These spots represent the point
on which the weight of the body falls in the middle of each
stride, and a very important difference will be noted in their
position. In the case of the man who turns his toes out, this
spot comes under the joint of the great toe, while in the other
foot it lies between the second and third toes.

In other words, when a man turns out his toes he places all
his weight on a single joint; when he walks parrot-toed it is
distributed among five joints. This difference in strain is sure to
tell in a long race. It is the experience of many a tramp in
moccasins and bare feet that makes the Indians and other
wild tribes walk parrot-toed, because any other way would
soon lame them. Our civilized stiff-soled boots, by distributing
the weight of the body over a large surface, permit us to
go on walking in a vicious fashion, as long as we do not have
to use much exertion, but when we come to serious pedestrianism,
we must return to savage i.e. natural ways, or the
strain will tell in lameness, inside of twenty-four hours' work.

The celebrated Indian-painter, George Catlin, gives in his
"Travels" a striking instance of the difference of the two
systems. He was a large, powerful man, and counted himself
a good walker in the old times. Therefore, when, in
company with a number of trappers, fur-traders and Indian
employes of the Fur Company, he set out for a hundred-and-fifty-mile
tramp over the prairie in moccasins, he made up his
mind to lead the caravan and outwalk every one.

For the first day he did so, but then found himself lame;
and next day, in spite of all he could do, he fell behind inferior
men and became a straggler. At the evening camp-fire,
the second day, an old trapper noticed his condition and told
him the secret of his non-success.

"You are walking in moccasins," said the hunter, "and
you must learn to turn in your toes, as the Indians do."

Catlin took the advice, went to the head of the line next
day, and had no more trouble in keeping his place.

The moral of the story is obvious. If you wish to last to
the end of a match, turn your toes in.

If there is anything which the records of modern pedestrianism
settles, it is that we have yet a good deal to learn from
savages. Here we have been walking matches and running
other matches for the last fifty years, only to settle down into
the regular Indian lope, or dog-trot, for long distance traveling,
as faster and less exhausting than the fastest walk.

This pace, introduced for the first time into civilized contests
by "Blower" Brown, Hazael, Corkey and Rowell, is the
very same which the Indian runners of the forest tribes have
used from time immemorial. It is the same with which the
Hindoo palkee-bearers swing through the jungle for mile after
mile under a tropic sun without apparent distress, and the
universal method adopted by savage and semi-barbarous
people whenever they wish to journey fast on foot. The civilized[20]
untrained man when he tries the same pace commonly
makes a mess of it. "Old Sport," alias Campana, was a good
exemplar of the civilized idea of a dog-trot—that of the old
volunteer fire-brigade of New York city. It was a fair trot,
but it would not last forever. Campana put up both arms,
working his shoulders as in a walk, and lifted his feet high
before and behind, with a weary-looking, lagging step. It entailed
about the same exertion as a fast walk and got over the
ground no faster. Too much work was wasted in perpendicular
motion.

LONG-DISTANCE RUNNER

A model of truly scientific long-distance running is found in
little Charley Rowell, whose style is an exact imitation of
Brown, Corkey and Hazael. All four are men of about the
same size and weight, standing five feet six inches, and weighing
from 130 to 140 lbs. The probable reason for their taking
to running was their small size, which debarred them from
success as walkers against men with six inches more stride.
As runners they have all glided into the same system, which
is fairly represented in the cut above, taken from the attitude
of Rowell.

The first thing that one notices about this figure is its ease,
and the absence of all appearance of effort. The professional
walker, in the cut in preceding chapter, looks as if he was
walking hard, but this fellow seems trying to run as slow as
he can. The fact is that, while not actually trying to go slow,
he is trying to save himself as much exertion as is compatible
with getting over the ground a little faster than the fastest
walk. Such a pace is from six to eight miles an hour, and
such a pace can be maintained by a well-trained man like
Rowell after he is unable to walk over three miles an hour.

There are several points to notice about the attitude, especially
the position of the head and the way the nose is elevated
in the air. When Rowell started after O'Leary on his
dog-trot with his nose in the air, people laughed at him and
thought he was playing monkey tricks; but when Rowell kept
his nose in the air for six days it began to be seen that he had
a reason for so doing.

If any of our readers will try the experiment of running for
a distance with the head down and then change to Rowell's
plan, nose in air and teeth tightly clenched, they will be surprised
at the difference in ease of respiration. Throwing up
the head makes the passage from nose to windpipe nearly
straight, and the air has no corners to turn before reaching
the lungs. In fast running, or any long-continued exertion,
it is necessary to keep the mouth closed, to prevent the rapid
evaporation that takes place when the air comes in through
the open mouth, parching up the throat. But if we try to
breathe through the nose alone, with the head bent down, we
find that the air does not come freely enough, and distress
soon compels us to open the mouth, after which we are speedily
at the end of our tether—and wind. Holding up the head
in the fashion depicted in the cut renders a two hours' run a
matter of comparative ease to a well-trained man, and enables
one like Hazael to run his 137 miles in 26 hours.

The next point to notice about our long-distance friend is
the position of his arms, which are slightly bent and held rigid
by the sides, to steady the walls of the lungs and thus let the
chest be kept fully dilated as long as possible. If the man in
the cut were running a "sprint race"—that is for any distance
inside of a furlong—his arms would go up to the same angles
as those of the professional walker, because then he would be
at top speed. As it is he is going as easily as he can, and does
not run fast enough to be able to keep his arms up, without a
conscious muscular exertion, which would tell in a race.

The art of long-distance running is one of real value to any
one who wishes to increase the size of his legs to shapeliness,
and to be able to go long steps rapidly with the least fatigue.
This pace, alternated with walking whenever the breath fails,
can be adopted by any person with advantage to health. The[22]
strain comes on the muscles of the front of the thigh and calf
of the leg, and a return to walking rests these more completely
than actual standing still. The combination of the
two forms the "go-as-you-please" contest.

SPRINT RUNNER

We have thus fully noticed long-distance running before
treating of "sprint" races and other short dashes, because it
is a more important branch of athletics. The correct system
is one that can be readily acquired by all, old and young, and
will be found of great value whenever one is in a hurry to go
to a certain place. The regular long-distance trot will take a
person further and faster than any other known method of unaided
progression.

A few words about sprint running will appropriately close
this chapter.

By the term "sprint" races are meant all those dashes at
full speed which are not over a furlong in length. Seventy-five
and one-hundred-yard dashes are the most common, and
the question of excellence as a sprint racer, or "sprinter," depends[23]
on single seconds or fractions thereof in time, while the
benefits derived from the practice are nothing like those of
the mile or ten-mile runner. The form required, however,
merits observation.

Sprint running is only an exaggeration of the system displayed
in long-distance work. The arms rise as in fast walking,
and for the same reasons, till they are doubled up. The
work, being fast, requires that the lungs be kept expanded,
therefore the arms are kept stiff and rigid to aid the chest
muscles in holding out the walls of the thorax to give room to
the lungs. The distribution of weight, on account of the
rapid motion, comes to be much the same as in fast walking,
but the knees are bent of necessity; because in running the
progression is made by springs from toe to toe, instead of heel
to heel. The same cause admits of the upper part of the body
falling forward, though the elevation of nose and hollowing
of back is even more important than in long-distance work,
inasmuch as the exertion is more severe while it lasts. The
cut on preceding page will illustrate the difference between
the sprint runner and the long-distance man.

Having thus treated of scientific walking and running simply
with regard to their mechanical action, we can next turn
to the subject of the proper dress to be adopted to make both
easy for the pedestrian.

The first question of importance both to walkers and runners
is how they shall be shod, and too much attention cannot
be paid to this matter. We will begin with the needs of a
walker.

It is not our intention to advertise any particular firm of
shoemakers as unequaled in the manufacture of walking-shoes;
for the fact is that the very best of the crack firms will
turn out botch jobs if you do not watch them sharply.

There are four points to be attended to in the selection of
walking-shoes:—First, the sole of the shoe must be under the
whole of the foot; second, the uppers must be soft and flexible;
third, the fit must be snug around the ankle and heel, but easy
at the toes; fourth, the heels must be low and broad.

To secure the first of these points there is only one certain
way, which is to stand in stocking feet on a piece of paper,
and have the outline of your sole traced on the paper, the
actual sole of the shoe being cut to this pattern, and never
coming inside of the line.

The second and third points depend on your own vigilance
and determination not to let the maker put off a stiff, ill-fitting[24]
pair of shoes on you. As for the last point, low broad
heels, no heels at all would be better. Very low heels of
India rubber would, however, diminish the jar of fast walking,
and are worth more trial than they have yet had.

The only reason for having a heel on a walking-shoe is to
enable it to resist the unequal wear that comes on that spot,
and not to elevate the heel of the natural foot.

With regard to the first point, that of the sole being under
the whole of the foot, this cannot be too much insisted on, for
shoemakers will make them narrower, with the idea of giving
an appearance of smallness to the feet. Your only remedy is
to refuse to take all shoes where the maker does not follow
exactly the paper pattern of sole.

The softness and flexibility of the uppers are more easily
secured, as also the fit round the ankle, where walking-shoes
should be laced. Buttoned boots or "Congress gaiters" with
elastic sides are not fit to walk in, as neither can be accommodated
to the size of a foot that is swelling during a severe
match. Laces can be relaxed or tightened; buttons are inflexible;
while elastic webbing always keeps the same pressure.

A professional walker, or one who is ambitious of excelling
on the track will need six pairs of shoes in a long race, beginning
with those that fit close and changing to those that
are old, worn, and easy to the foot, as it becomes sore and inflamed.
The man who rests his hopes of fame on mile-walks,
needs a different foot-gear, analogous to that of the sprint runner,
whom he resembles. Strong shoes are thrown away on
him. He needs the very lightest kind of slipper that can be
made, consistent with enough leather to preserve the foot from
bruises, and the running slippers that are sold in all sporting
warehouses are just the thing for this kind of work. Those
that are furnished with spikes are well enough for running on
turf, but to be avoided on hard tracks.

Next after the shoes, and equally great in importance,
come the socks. There is only one point necessary to be observed
about these: they should be of soft woolen and as
thick as possible. Hand-knit are preferable to woven socks,
but the thickness and softness are the great points, as these
secure the absorption of the perspiration. Cotton socks would
be sure to work into hard wrinkles in a match-walk and
cause severe blisters, though it must be owned that these will
sometimes occur in spite of all imaginable precautions.

About the rest of a pedestrian's dress there is but little to
say; as it depends almost entirely on individual fancy.
There is no doubt that the best dress for active work of all
kinds is a suit of common white cotton tights, which cost
less than two dollars, while trunk-breeches can be made at
home at an almost nominal cost.

But whether the walker rejoice in silk tights and velvet
trunks, or remain satisfied with the homely flannel drawers and
cardigan jackets of Rowell, is a matter of indifference to his
speed. The only things he cannot wear if he hopes to do
good walking, are ulster overcoats and trowsers. In a word,
his dress may be anything he likes, so long as it leaves his
joints free; and this is why knee-breeches have never given
way to trowsers on a walking-track.

Trowsers are in fact the worst dress possible for all active
exercise. They cramp the knee and prevent its free action
in a manner which, while it does not interfere materially
with walking at ordinary rates of speed, affects a runner seriously
by the time he has passed over a few yards at top
speed.

The word "training" in modern times has come to comprise
two separate branches of athletic science. The first is a
system of practice on a special feat till the trained man accomplishes
it with ease and certainty; the other and more
important branch aims to bring the trained man to the highest
pitch of health and strength.

When he has attained this point he is said to be in "condition."

It is plain therefore that a perfect system of training cannot
afford to leave out either of these branches. A man may be
trained to walk or run in the best possible style and fail in
a race on account of poor condition; or again he may be in
the finest physical condition and fail on account of defective
system of walking or running.

The many races of the late champion Daniel O'Leary
illustrate both these facts very sensibly. When he went to
England to meet Weston and the great pedestrians, he kept
himself in good condition, and used the best system of walking
known. The consequence was that he was prepared at all
points and beat all comers. When he came back to the United
States he was pitted successively against Hughes and Campana,
men whom he despised as opponents. Hughes was in excellent
condition, but did not understand the science of either
walking or running; and so tired himself out early in the race,
which was easily won by O'Leary on a small record.

Next the champion met Campana, a man who began to run
too late in life, and who then understood nothing but the jog
trot for a day or two. As a walker he was nowhere, his system[26]
being so bad that he tired himself out when going at only
four miles an hour. Here also O'Leary had an easy victory;
but it is worthy of remark that he was more distressed to do
four hundred miles in the Campana match, than he had been
to accomplish five hundred and twenty in the first Astley belt
match.

The whole reason was that he had allowed himself to get
out of condition, and so found his system feverish when it
should have been vigorous; while blisters that should have
yielded to care rapidly increased in size and made the greater
part of the walk a positive torture to him. It became evident
that if he were to be pitted against a man in good condition
with a good system, he would go under, and the next race
realized the expectation. Coming against Rowell, Harriman
and Ennis, all in fair condition, he broke down utterly and
left the track for good.

Rowell, the winner of the match, is an example of the
success which is sure to meet a man who combines perfect
system and perfect condition. His opponents, Harriman and
Ennis, while not in bad condition, were not models in that
way. Harriman was too much of a vegetarian, and Ennis
was always cursed with a rebellious stomach. The little Englishman
on the other hand was in perfect condition and used
a system of progression that exactly suited him. His short
legs made a long walking stride impossible; therefore he took
to trotting; but by dint of long practice acquired a trot
which he could keep up for hours at a time, with no more
fatigue than that involved in fast walking, while it covered
more ground.

Later matches have but emphasized these points. The
records of distance made in six-day contests have gradually
risen, as man after man has acquired a better system of traveling,
while all have kept themselves in better condition; and
thus we see men who began like Merritt, Krohme, Hart,
Panchot, Fitzgerald and a dozen others, gradually bettering
their performances, till the American track has fairly beaten
the English in the number of "five hundred mile men" it
has turned out.

One thing has been demonstrated in all these races beyond
a doubt; which is, that no man can safely train himself for a
great feat. He may do it during preliminary practice and at
small matches where his opponents are not dangerous; but
when it comes to a supreme effort, he must put himself into
the hands of others, if he hope to make a good record.

The men who do the training for matches in large cities
are generally retired pugilists or professional athletes of other
kinds and there's not much choice between them. The special
work of the old pugilistic trainer is to bring his man up
to the highest point of health and strength, besides sustaining[27]
him during the match. He is generally a careful and experienced
nurse, who understands the efficacy of rubbings
and baths to take the pain out of tired joints; and will often
perform wonders in the way of restoring a jaded man to comparative
freshness.

His weakness as a special trainer for pedestrians, lies in the
fact that he is not an expert in systems of walking, and so
cannot give his man much valuable instruction during his
training.

The weakness of a professional pedestrian, on the other
hand, lies in the direction where the pugilist is strongest, that
of general physical training. His best point will probably be
his ability to criticise and improve the style of his pupil before
the match. If such a trainer can make his man go more miles
in an hour with less fatigue than he has ever done before, he
will be worth a good deal of money; but as a sustainer and
imparter of strength he is not always as successful. He is apt
to let his man eat things that are not only not beneficial, but
often positively injurious; a mistake which the pugilistic
trainer never commits.

These facts render the selection of trainers a matter requiring
a good deal of judgment, and indicates different men for
different kinds of races.

If the object of ambition is to beat the world in a mile, five-mile
or twenty-five mile walk, square heel and toe, a professional
pedestrian is the man to employ as a trainer; as style
and swiftness are his special points, and the efforts required in
short contests are not so severe as to cause an exhausting
drain on the physical powers.

When the trial is changed to a sprint race, where great
speed is required and a severe temporary strain comes on
heart and lungs, the pugilist would answer the purpose better,
as condition is the great point in such a match, style being
secondary.

For longer running contests up to twenty miles, where
economy of strength is everything, style becomes a valuable
adjunct; and here the professional runner is indicated as the
proper trainer.

For twenty-four-hour walks and runs the professional pedestrian
is also the man to employ, as such efforts are not
above the capacity of men in fair condition.

Even as far as three-day contests, a moderate amount of
physical condition will take a man through without breaking
down under the strain, and a pugilistic trainer may be unnecessary.

When it comes, however, to the supreme efforts required to
accomplish five hundred miles in six days, two trainers are
almost imperatively required; one a pedestrian, to train for
speed and style; the other an old pugilist, who understands[28]
every point involved in putting a man into first-class condition
and nursing him under the tremendous strain involved in
a match. These men must be in constant attendance on their
pupil before the match, and will be obliged to lose as much
sleep as the competitor during the trial itself, unless they can
be relieved by others as good as themselves.

We have said this much on the subject of training, although
experience shows that trainers are not made by books. We
recommend every reader, ambitious to become a crack pedestrian,
to put himself into the hands of an old trainer whenever
he can, paying his price if he can afford it. If, however,
this be impossible, and it be absolutely necessary for the aspirant
to train himself, a few safe general rules may be laid
down, which can be followed without danger, and the observance
of which is sure to give an easy victory over untrained
men, such as attend country matches.

We will take them in order, beginning with sprint-racing.

HOW TO TRAIN FOR A SPRINT RACE.

If it be for a seventy-five-yard dash, find some place where
you can lay out a straight track, just that length. In the
country this is easy, in the city more difficult, the public parks
being the only places where it is practicable. Having laid out
the track, take a friend to time you, and run the course regularly
three or four times a day, one or two trials each time,
keeping a record of the average for a week. Do this in your
ordinary clothes and shoes. You will probably find your first
week's average about eleven seconds, if not more.

During this first week there is no special diet to recommend,
save to eat as few vegetables, and as little sweet stuff as may
be. If the bowels become free, as they are apt to do under the
running exercise, no medicine need be taken, but if the system
is much clogged, a succession of three doses of epsom salts or
citrate of magnesia, taken every other morning, will remove
waste matter and restore a healthy tone.

The second week begin to run for time, and to improve the
wind. Increase the number of dashes to five or six a day, and
run the course at least twice each trial. You are pretty sure
now to get your record below ten seconds, if you throw off
your upper clothes and run in shirt and trowsers. During this
week eat lean meat, mutton or beef, with stale bread, and
drink as little as possible. Remember that to keep the bowels
regular, there is nothing like regular habits; and that the system
should be cleared out twice a day.

On the third week try the track at top speed, once every
hour, and begin to practice in running costume. You will
find that your record has now come down below nine seconds.
Your appetite will become furious during this week, and you[29]
will find it hard to stick to your temperate fare of bread and
meat, but this is essential to success, as a sprint runner can
hardly be too thin and hard for his work. If the aspirant be
at all fat, he should run in heavy clothes to sweat himself
down, or else try a Turkish bath, which takes off the fat
quicker than anything else.

The fourth week should be that of the race, and the previous
exercise should be increased by running the track once
every half hour in the morning, and returning to the previous
week's practice in the afternoon.

If any young man out in the country will try this method
of training faithfully, beginning four weeks before the match
comes off, he will be able to beat all his untrained competitors
by one and perhaps two seconds; for sprint running depends
on the capacity to take the greatest possible number of
steps inside of twenty seconds, and so does not require the
elaborate training necessary to accomplish more exhausting
feats.

Hundred-yard dashes require the same training as seventy-five-yard
spurts; and so do hundred-and-twenty-yard races.
The longest sprint race, and the most severe of all, is the furlong
dash—two hundred and twenty yards. This kind of
racing is a tremendous strain on the lungs and heart, as the
same pace which carries the runner over the hundred yard
track has to be kept up and even increased. It requires a
broad deep chest in the runner, with little flesh, and that
hard and firm. To train for such a race requires at least a
year's practice, and amateurs would do well to leave it alone
altogether.

TO TRAIN FOR MILE OR TWO-MILE WALKS.

Here the first requisite is a track for practice, and the directions
for sprinter's training will serve in all respects as to
diet and medicine. The period of training however needs to
be longer, the mile walker needing more time to perfect his
style and speed. The margin of difference between a green
sprinter and a trained one is only a few seconds, but the green
walker has to overcome a difference of several minutes before
he can hope for success in a mile match. His exercise has
one great advantage about it, that it aids him to train himself
into first class condition. If he will study to acquire the
walk of the professional, described in previous chapters, he
will be able in six weeks to cut down his mile record from
twelve minutes to less than nine, and will have a fair chance
in any amateur race. When he can do a mile in eight minutes,
he can enter with a fair degree of confidence almost anywhere,
and can travel round to country races carrying all before
him.

Here the training should be long and severe, and no amateur
can hope to do very much in mile runs in the way of
time. It is true that there are some young men, calling themselves
amateurs, that have made fine records at mile runs, but
they were in reality professionals; that is, they made a business
of running, even if they did not take money prizes.
Begin with sprint racing if you hope to become eminent as a
mile runner, and keep on extending the length of your trials
gradually. It takes a good year's hard work to make a respectable
mile-runner.

TRAINING FOR LONG RUNS.

Here it is difficult, if not impossible, to give any fixed rules
beyond those indicated at the earlier part of this chapter. The
best way is to get a good trainer, put yourself in his hands
and follow his instructions faithfully.

Nothing is so common a cause of spoiling a walking or
running record as "a short track." This is peculiarly the case
in the country, where pedestrian contests are apt to be conducted
in a rough manner, unaccompanied by the guards
found to be essential in the first-class matches held in large
cities. Too much care cannot be exercised in measuring a
track; and it is always best to secure the services of the official
engineer of the county or town as a measurer to make
sure of the proper length. The reason for securing an engineer
rather than trusting to your own measurement is that
engineers can always be depended on to use standard measures,
made of metal, which do not stretch. Common measuring tapes,
being made of woven materials or leather, are liable to many
errors from stretching or shrinking; and though these may
not amount to more than a few inches in a fifty-foot tape,
they make a serious hole in a record of five hundred miles.

Sometimes these mistakes will occur in the best regulated
contests, as became evident after the Astley belt match of
1879 in Gilmore's Garden. There was a great deal of litigation
and dispute between the representatives of the Astley
and O'Leary parties before this match came off; and the
O'Leary people, who took possession of the Garden the week
after the match, in their eagerness to find some fault with their[31]
predecessors, had the track remeasured. The result showed
that the track used in the Astley belt match lacked several
feet of being a full furlong, and the difference spoiled all the
records, taking six or eight miles off Rowell's excellent performance.

The commonest cause of country records being bad is that
country pedestrians too frequently use horse-racing tracks,
which are measured in a peculiar manner. In a horse-race,
especially in a trotting contest with wheels, the mile or half-mile
line runs in the middle, or near the middle of the track,
to equalize the chances of horses starting abreast. The advantage
of "hugging the pole"—keeping to the inside of this
line—on a circular or elliptic track, are too obvious to be enlarged
upon, but the ardor of the horses seldom permits one
to hold this advantage long, and the animals are continually
crossing the line of distance, thereby making a serpentine
course which equalizes the chances of all.

In pedestrian contests, on the other hand, each man hugs
the rail as close as he can, and therefore the track must
always be measured close to the inside rail.

In a hall or theater, where most walking tracks have been
laid, the length must be suited to the capacity of the building;
but when an open air track is available, there is no question
as to the necessity of making it some simple multiple of a
mile. A quarter-mile open air track would be the beau-ideal
of a place for summer pedestrian contests, but if a half-mile
or mile track is to be used, where one already exists for
trotting contests, it will be necessary to lay out a second railing
at the proper distance from the horse-rail, to enable the
record to be made in the only way it can count.

Open air tracks, however, are not fit for six-day matches,
on account of the liability to rain, and dew, which would
spoil the track for walkers by making it muddy. Moreover,
such tracks are seldom found near enough to cities to admit
of the crowds that are necessary to make a foot-race pay.
Horse racing is the pastime of rich people, who can afford to
enjoy their amusement without regard to cost; but pedestrian
matches are dependent on large crowds of spectators who
must be tempted to drop in at any and all times. Therefore
it is that pedestrian matches are almost always, and six-day
contests invariably, held in large buildings, under cover; and
the average length of track is either 110 or 220 yards, so as to
make either eight or sixteen "laps" to the mile. The word
"lap" has now become so familiar that few people reflect
that it is merely the revival of an obsolete word meaning "to
turn," and that so many "laps" mean so many "turns." If
the building is large enough to hold an eight-lap track, it is
to be preferred; but failing that, one must be satisfied with a
ten, twelve, or sixteen lap track. For the convenience of our[32]
readers, we furnish a table of lengths of tracks, making so
many laps to the mile:

A

track

660

feet

long

gives

8

laps

to the

mile

"

"

586

2-3

"

"

"

9

"

"

"

"

"

528

"

"

"

10

"

"

"

"

"

480

"

"

"

11

"

"

"

"

"

440

"

"

"

12

"

"

"

"

"

406

2-13

"

"

"

13

"

"

"

"

"

377

1-7

"

"

"

14

"

"

"

"

"

352

"

"

"

15

"

"

"

"

"

330

"

"

"

16

"

"

"

This table shows the kind of tracks to avoid as difficult to
measure. They are the thirteen and fourteen-lap tracks, which
contain fractions that involve a division of inches and are so
far improper. All the others are easily measured.

Next to the length comes the question of the best shape of
track and the size of the building which controls it. The
greatest possible length to be secured in any given building
would obviously be in a line which should run against the
outer wall all round, leaving the seats for the spectators in the
center. This plan is open, however, to two objections. First,
the spectators could only see the men when they were on their
own side of the track; and, second, the pedestrians would
have to turn four sharp corners in every lap round an ordinary
building. These things must be avoided somehow. The
pedestrians must at all times be visible from every point of
the house and the corners of their track must be rounded for
them to make the going easy.

The next form of track which would suggest itself is a circular
one, in the middle of the building, but this has its own
objection. A circular track is sure to produce dizziness, especially
if it be a small one. The experience of the past few
years has therefore dictated the use of the largest buildings
only, with tracks where straight lines and curves are blended
into a sort of ellipse; and the proportion of each adopted in
Agricultural Hall, London, and Gilmore's Garden, New York,
has proved itself capable of giving the best results in time to
the men and comfort to the spectators.

These now famous tracks have a center formed by a parallelogram,
with the upper and lower ends rounded into semi-circles.
This center is longer than it is broad, and leaves
about two-thirds of the track—the sides—in nearly straight
lines, the circular parts at the ends being each one one-sixth
of the whole distance. If only two men are competing, as in
the O'Leary matches with Hughes and Campana, the path is
broad enough to lay out two tracks, on which the men can
walk without interfering with each other's movements. This
is the fairest plan; but if there are more than two competitors[33]
they use a single eight-lap track, where the man who wishes
to pass his opponent has to do so on the outside, before he can
take the rail in front of him.

The center around which the track runs is a good place for
spectators who wish to see the men closely; and is always occupied
by a crowd of people, moving from side to side, and
cheering vehemently at the more exciting portions of the race.

To reach this center visitors have to cross the track; but
this, though objectionable, has not yet been found to have any
very bad effects. All round the other side of the broad pathway
are the rows of benches and private boxes where are
seated the great mass of the spectators who do not care to
stand. The only objection to Gilmore's, now Madison Square
Garden, as a place for pedestrian contests, is the fact that the
building is cheaply constructed, with a large number of
wooden pillars which interrupt the view of portions of the
track; but this defect is not serious in a race, where the point
of view is constantly shifting.

We give on the frontispiece a diagram of the general arrangement
of a building on the same principle as Madison
Square Garden.

The model hall is of the largest size used, but gives a longer
track. The inside path, shortest of all, measures eight
laps to the mile, while a track laid out on the dotted line will
give only seven laps to the mile. This line is fifteen feet
and a quarter of an inch from the inner rail. The eight-lap
track is five feet wide, to give ample room for each competitor
to pass the other on the outside if he can. Each track
has two straight stretches of 220 feet each, and a semi-circular
turn at each end. The diameter of the eight-lap semi-circles
is seventy feet three inches, and that of the seven-lap
tracks is one-hundred feet and half an inch. In each case the
actual measurement of the track will be a trifle over, rather
than under the calculated distance, which must be tested by
the measuring tape when the rail is set up. If it prove long,
the rail is bent in, if short pushed out, till the tape just fits.

Those who cannot secure an engineer or official surveyor
to measure their tracks are advised to use brass chains or steel
tapes, especially the last, which are very handy.

A hall of the size given will hold thirteen thousand spectators
when the whole of the ring is crowded with standers, as
it was at the close of every Astley Belt match in New York,
while there are good seats for seven thousand people outside
the track, in a building 400 by 200 feet. The main path on
which the different lap tracks are constructed, is twenty-five
feet wide, to accommodate races where the starters are numerous,
such as sprints of seventy-five yards or upward.

This size of building and track will be found the best for
large cities, on account of the advantages it gives for the[34]
meetings of athletic clubs, who always have two or more
sprint races and handicap mile or two-mile walks. Hundred-yard
dashes on such a track are made down one side, with
the least possible turn; and by laying the finishing line on a
slant across the curve at the end, the outside men can be
favored enough to make all run just the same distance. There
is no trouble about starting five or six men at a time on
such a track.

The following estimates will show how, by following the
same general outline and proportions, smaller buildings can
accommodate the greatest number of spectators and the greatest
length of track.

A building 100 feet by 50 will hold a railed inclosure 72
feet 6 inches long by 17 feet 6 inches across, giving a track
155 feet 3 inches long, 34 laps to the mile, and 8 feet wide,
with accommodation for 800 spectators inside and outside the
ring, 400 having seats.

A building 200 by 100 feet will hold a 16-lap track and
nearly 3500 people, seating 1600.

A building 150 by 75 feet will hold a 24-lap track, and 2000
spectators, 1000 on seats.

With these general data and the diagram, a calculation of
the capacity of any given building is easy. The main point
is to have as long a track as can be squeezed in, consistently
with securing a good view for the largest number of spectators.

Having treated of the best shape for a pedestrian track, the
next question comes as to the materials of which it should be
made.

Bearing in mind that the broad twenty-five foot track is to
be a permanency for the use of athletic clubs and sprint
races, it will have to undergo a great deal of wear and tear,
and requires a firm smooth surface. Simple dirt will get
trodden into ridges or become loose and heavy, while a stone
pavement is too hard. An asphalt pavement, laid on the
bare earth, gives a mixture of elasticity and firmness that
suits sprint races very well, and has the further advantage
of being easily repaired. For the main track, a thick covering
of asphalt can hardly be bettered.

For six-day walks, however, the main track is altogether
too hard. The long continuance of such walks makes the
feet of the pedestrians very tender, and they require something
softer.

Tanbark and sawdust are the agents used to build a special
walking track, and the latter is far the most common. The
best kind of track that has been laid in the United States,
and one that has served as a model for all others since, was
that used in the Astley Belt match, won by Rowell in 1879
from O'Leary, Harriman and Ennis. This track was bordered[35]
on both sides with planks, and filled with some three
inches of dry sawdust, smoothed with rollers. After O'Leary's
retirement, the track was sprinkled with water and rolled
all the time, the roller having to keep out of the way of the
pedestrians. This path, thus rolled and wetted into firmness,
was the perfection of a walking track. The dry sawdust was
too soft and slippery, but the wet rolled path was perfection.
It made no dust, was always springy and elastic, soft and
cool to the foot, and conducive to good time. Such a path
can hardly be bettered by any means with which the sporting
world is now acquainted, and it is so easily made anywhere
that we can heartily recommend it. Open air tracks
for summer sprint-racing can hardly follow a better model
than a common trotting track, but if a turf surface, level
and free from stones, holes or roots, can be secured, it is still
better except in a long drought, when the turf becomes very
slippery.

The management of a pedestrian match of whatever kind
is by no means an easy matter, and one that increases in
difficulty with the magnitude of the prizes involved. Large
prizes are sure to attract numerous competitors, and large
crowds of spectators generally follow the athletes. Every
year sees a number of athletic games held in our large cities,
such as New York, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Cincinnati
or St. Louis, but it is safe to say that not ten per cent. of these
are even fairly carried out, while most are sad scenes of confusion.
In New York city the only club that gives thoroughly
satisfactory exhibitions is the New York Athletic,
and the only well-conducted six-day matches involving more
than two competitors have been the Astley and O'Leary Belt
matches.

This statement involves a short account of the difficulties
incident to a large pedestrian match or athletic meeting.

The troubles arise from two causes, numerous competitors
and numerous spectators. These require a numerous staff to
attend to their wants and prevent disorder and waste of
money.

Let us first take the spectators. To bring them in is the
ambition of every man or club that gives a match. To do so
requires that the entertainment shall be well and plainly advertised;
and it is not every one who can draw up an advertisement
properly. The daily papers must be visited by the
managers to secure notices in the news columns; and the[36]
walls of conspicuous buildings must be lined with show-bills,
setting forth the place and date of the show, with the price of
admission. Every bill should contain this information, but a
great many amateur club bills do not contain it.

Having attracted the people, the next thing is to admit
them in such a way that no one shall get in without paying
or on a complimentary ticket, and that the tickets shall act as
a check on the money-takers' accounts. We have seen amateur
shows where the man at the door took money and tickets
indifferently, so that the managers were entirely at the mercy
of his honesty. It is therefore absolutely necessary that two
persons should be at the door, one to take the tickets, the
other to sell them, and no person should be admitted except
by a ticket of some sort. The tickets should, as fast as received,
be dropped into a box with a slit at the top, the box
to be locked and the manager to have the key. The tickets
sold at the office should be of different color from the complimentaries,
of which the manager should be sole custodian.

At the "counting of the house" the ticket-box is unlocked,
the tickets carefully counted, and the result shows how much
money ought to be in the box-office. In a six-day match,
where the receipts are very large and constantly accumulating,
it is usual to have two sets of ticket-takers and box-office
men, and to count the house morning and evening.

In large matches, too, the managers are sometimes obliged
to change the shape, color and appearance of their tickets
from day to day, to avoid the introduction of forgeries, while
detectives are necessary to watch the ticket-takers for fear
they may be in collusion with the box-office man.

Within the house, if there are any reserved seats, it is necessary
to have ushers to direct the holders of coupons to
their proper places, but reserved seats are not much in favor
at walking matches.

In large matches where there is a great mixed crowd, the
attendance of the police is frequently advisable to prevent attacks
on competitors by the backers of men opposed to
them. Had it not been for the police, Rowell and Hazael
would have both probably been severely hurt, if not disabled
for life at the last Astley Belt match.

With regard to the competitors, the duty of the management
is confined to giving them a good track, air as pure as
possible, with responsible scorers and timers. Their quarters
and diet are matters for their own attention, and depend on
the finances of each. It has become customary to set up
tents for all competitors in a six-day match round the inside
rail and opening on the track. These tents are in fact preferable
to huts of board, unless the weather is very cold indeed,
but they should be provided with camp stoves in case it becomes
necessary to give the competitor a warm bath, as frequently
happens.

The duties of the management as regards a good track for
a six-day match have already been explained. It is also their
duty to see that a sufficient force of scorers and timers is on
hand. Where the competitors are few this is not difficult, but
where there are fifty or more it demands great care to prevent
confusion. In a six-day match it is usual to have twelve relays
of scorers, volunteers from the various athletic clubs
who take every alternate twelve hours from Monday to Saturday
inclusive.

The system of scoring adopted and used at the late great
walk in Madison Square Garden was a great advance on all
previous efforts and could hardly be excelled for simplicity and
accuracy. There were sixty competitors, and each had to be
recognized and scored eight times for every mile, or four thousand
times in five hundred miles, in such a manner that there
could be no mistake as to his identity. To effect this result
the following were the arrangements:

Each competitor carried the number of his entry in
figures a foot long on his left breast, and they were started in
sets of four or six, to each of which was given a special timer
and scorer. It was the timer's business to watch for his
numbers and no one else's, and to call them out every time
they came by the stand. Behind him sat the scorer with his
book, and it was his business to make a mark against each
number as called by the timer, columns being ruled for that
purpose in the book. Thus each man attended to his business,
without any temptation to increase or diminish his scores.

Besides attending to the scoring of the competitors, the
management owes a duty to the spectators of announcing the
results of that scoring through the varying fortunes of the race.
This is generally done by means of a large blackboard, whereon
the names and scores of the leaders are chalked up, so that
every one can see them; but where the competitors are
numerous this will not serve for all, and another method is
taken at the scoring stand where each man has his name on
a placard two feet long, underneath which are placed two
more placards one bearing the word "miles," the other the
word "laps." Before each of these is a vacancy where a
number can be hung, and each name has a man to attend to
it, whose duty is to move the "mile" and "lap" numbers as
they change. In the last match dials with pointers were substituted
for the cards, with the advantage of increased simplicity.

So much for six-day professional matches, which are the
best managed as a rule. Something remains to be said about
amateur walks and runs, because they are subject to much
mismanagement. The New York Athletic Club is in fact
almost the only organization in the metropolis that gives
thoroughly enjoyable entertainments, because they are properly
managed.

The reason of the trouble at most amateur matches is that
the competitors are not kept in proper discipline, but are allowed
to run over the management, violate rules, interfere,
argue, protest and grumble, till the managers lose their
heads in the confusion. The first thing for the managers
of an athletic meeting to do is to make a set of rules that
will cover all conceivable cases, and then to stick to them,
and no better example of such rules can be given than those
of the New York Athletic Club, which will be found in a
later chapter.

The troubles generally arise in questions of time and precedence
among a large number of walkers, for it is in square
walking contests that the dispute generally occurs. There
may be fifty or more men at the scratch and all or most have
walked fairly enough till near the finish, when they have
tried on their most knowing tricks to cover up a run and
get in first. It is here that the experience and temper of
the judges are most severely tried. They may have to rule
out as many as three or four men and give the first prize
to a man who crosses the score third or fourth, and this is
a difficult thing to do without appearing unjust.

The competitors in such matches must always wear numbers
to save confusion, and the scorers and timers have less
work than in a six-day race.

"Timing" a man correctly requires two men; one to hold
the watch with his thumb ready on the stop looking at nothing
else; the other to watch the man and call out "stop" as
he crosses the line. No man can do timing single-handed.
He is sure to make mistakes from disturbance of mind on account
of divided attention.

For the convenience of those without practical experience
in conducting athletic meetings we print an additional chapter
containing the most approved rules, to which we refer the
reader.

The first reliable record that we have of modern pedestrianism
bears the name of Captain Robert Barclay. Of course
there had been walkers before his time; but he was the first
to bring walking, as a means of locomotion, into general notice.
The first public match of this remarkable man took
place in 1806, when he is said to have walked from Ury to
Craithynaird, Scotland, and return, a distance of 100 miles,
in 19 hours. Three years later, we find his most notable record.
During the interval he had taken the name of Allardice
in addition to his own, and is described on the records,[39]
as Captain Robert Barclay Allardice, who made a match of
two thousand guineas at Newmarket, England, that he could
walk 1,000 miles in 1,000 consecutive hours, and did it, too.
This was the first of these endurance matches publicly attempted,
and was walked in the open air on the high road,
where two inns were found, just a mile apart, near the town
of Newcastle. Captain Barclay favored himself in this match
by walking a mile at the end of one hour and going on with
the next mile at the beginning of the succeeding hour, thus
giving himself an hour and a half clear sleep or rest between
each two miles. He won his bet, beginning June 1st, and ending
July 12th, 1809.

This feat remained unexcelled till 1877, when William Gale
beat it all to pieces. Starting on August 26th of that year,
and ending October 6th, he succeeded in walking 1,500 miles
in 1,000 hours, a mile and a half each hour, commencing on
the stroke of the hour. This feat was done at Lillie Bridge,
England, and was followed in November of the same year by
4,000 quarter miles done in 4,000 consecutive periods of ten
minutes each. This Gale was the same person who trained
Madam Anderson to bring the quarter-mile match to the
United States; and that lady made a great monetary success
out of it, though her feats were not remarkable, save as being
executed by a woman.

The first flutter of interest in pedestrianism excited in the
United States, was when E. P. Weston started, Oct. 29, 1867
to walk from Portland, Maine, to Chicago, Illinois, which he
reached November 28th, (Thanksgiving Day) having successfully
accomplished the task he set himself.

Up to that time, while there had been some races, where
good runners had contested, walking was at a discount in the
United States; but from the date of Weston's feat, pedestrianism
became a fashionable amusement, and rich club-men were
found who would walk matches on foot, instead of lolling in
carriages, or trotting their horses.

The professionals during that time had been chiefly confined
to England, where the best records had been made.

The best 100-yard sprinter of his day was George Seward,
of Hammersmith, England, who made the amazing time of
9 1-4 seconds, Sept. 30, 1844, and did 120 yards in 11 1-4 seconds,
May 3, 1847. These records have not yet been beaten.

The other early records that are still unexcelled are those of
W. G. Scarlet, Newcastle, England, Sept. 7, 1841, who ran 140
yards in 14 seconds; Charles Westhall, Manchester, England,
Feb. 4, 1851, who did 150 yards in 15 seconds, and Seward's
unapproachable record of 200 yards in 19 1-2 seconds, made
March 22, 1847.

Seward was one of the very few men who could keep up
the rate of ten yards a second for a distance over a hundred
yards.

The best 125-yard record is American; that of J. W. Cozad,
made Nov. 23, 1868, at Long Island Fashion Course, in 12 1-2
seconds. The year before, William Johnson, at Fenham Park,
England, did 130 yards in 1-4 second less time.

The best 180-yard record is 18 1-5 seconds, made April 27,
1878, by L. Junker, at London. Junker was an amateur, and
his performance is below that of Seward before referred to,
not quite reaching 10 yards a second, while Seward beat that
average.

The best furlong records are made by amateurs in the same
year; W. Phillips doing the distance in 22 2-5 seconds, in
London, England, Sept. 28, 1878; and L. E. Myers at Mott
Haven, N. Y., making it in 22 3-4 seconds, Sept. 20, 1879.

Beyond a furlong, no man has yet succeeded in keeping up
the rate of ten yards a second, the nearest approach being that
of R. Buttery, Newcastle, England, Oct. 4, 1873. This runner
did a quarter of a mile—440 yards—in 48 1-4 seconds, beating
the best English record by two seconds and the best American
by four seconds.

The best half-mile record was made in New Zealand by
Frank Hewitt, of Lyttleton, in September, 1871, in 113 1-2
seconds, beating the best English records by four and the
best American by ten seconds.

The best mile record was made in a dead heat between
Richards and Lang, at Manchester, England, August 19, 1865,
in 4 minutes 17 1-4 seconds; seven seconds better than had
ever been done before. Lang had previously made two miles
in 9m. 11 1-2s., in Manchester, England, August 1, 1863.

The best records from three to seven miles inclusive were
all made by John White, at London, May 11, 1863. They
were as follows: 3 miles in 14m. 36s.; 4 miles in 19m. 36s.; 5
miles in 24m. 40s.; 6 miles in 29m. 50s.; and 7 miles in 34m.
45s.

The best records for eight and nine miles were made June 1,
1852, by James Howitt, of London. He ran 8 miles in 40m.
20s., and 9 in 45m. 21s. This same Howitt, next year, March
20, 1852, ran 13 miles in 70m. 31s.; 14 miles in 76m. 12s.; 15
miles in 82m.; and 16 miles in 88m. 6s.

The best times for 10, 11 and 12 miles are 51m. 26s.; 56m.
52s.; and 62m. 2s.; all made by L. Bennett (alias Deerfoot) at
London, April 3, 1863.

From 17 to 19 miles George Hazael is the champion, having
done 17 miles in 1h. 38m. 53s.; 18 miles in 1h. 45m. and
19 miles in 1h. 51m. 14s. Hazael also made the best 20-mile
record up to 1879, when his time was beaten by P.
Byrnes at Halifax, Nova Scotia, Oct. 4. Byrnes ran 20 miles
in 1h. 54m.—three minutes less than Hazael's best time.

Beyond twenty miles the running records are scanty and
not remarkable.

The best records of walking are credited to William Perkins,
the present English champion, as far as 22 miles. This Perkins
is as remarkable in his specialty as was Seward in his sprinting,
easily passing all competitors. He made his first great
effort in London, June 1, 1874, when he left the best on record
up to eight miles.

He did his first mile in 6m. 23s.; the second in 13m. 30s.;
the third in 20m. 47s.; the fourth in 28m. 59s.; the fifth in
36m. 32s.; the sixth in 44m. 24s.; the seventh in 51m. 51s.;
the eighth in 59m. 5s.; thus making over eight miles an hour.

Three years later he beat his own record July 16, 1877, and
placed his name at the top of the list all the way up to 22
miles. The records were as follows:

The best records from thence to twenty-five miles Perkins
did not beat. He had done the greatest distance on record in
three hours and the miles above twenty-two remained credited
to John Smith of London, sixteen years before. This
pedestrian Nov. 10, 1851, finished his twenty-third mile in 3h.
20m. 39s.; his twenty-fourth in 3h. 30m. 58s.; and his twenty-fifth
in 3h. 42m. 16s.

The difference between him and Perkins is shown in the
difference of time between the 22 and 23 miles, which is 21m.
47s., whereas the average of each of Perkins's miles was 8m.
6 3-5s.

From twenty-five up to fifty miles the best walking time on
record is credited to William Howes, who on March 30, 1868,
made 26 miles in 3h. 54m. 18s., 23 minutes ahead of all others
before or since. He made a record of 50 miles in 7h. 57m.
44 seconds. We omit the intermediate times as unimportant;
but the average of each mile was 8m. 26s. From thence to
77 miles Daniel O'Leary takes the palm, his 76th mile having
been accomplished in 13h. 37m. 26s. at Chicago, Illinois, Nov.
10, 1877.

Beyond that distance, Howes again takes the lead, with the
best records up to 129 miles, made Feb. 22 and 23, 1878, at
London. O'Leary made the best American records up to 100
miles in his Chicago walk. Howes's record for 77 miles is
13 hours, 56 minutes and 5 seconds; while his 129th mile was
walked in 24 hours 20 minutes and 30 seconds.

From thence to 173 miles Henry Vaughan takes the lead
at square walking, having accomplished that distance in 38
hours, 28 minutes and 13 seconds.

Beyond this point Daniel O'Leary comes again to the front,
in his matches with Weston at Agricultural Hall, London,
and with Crossland at Manchester, both in 1877. His time for
174 miles was 39 hours, 5 minutes, 48 seconds, and from
thence to 241 miles he made the best walking time on record,
the last distance being accomplished in 58 hours, 48 minutes,
37 seconds.

Peter Crossland then passed him and led for 46 miles, making
287 miles in 69 hours, 22 minutes, 22 seconds.

From this point upward Daniel O'Leary still remains the
king of the square walkers, having accomplished 519 miles in
141 hours, 6 minutes and 10 seconds.

Our own Harriman did 160 miles with only 17 minutes rest
in New York, May 10, 1878.

Howes leads the record for one-day walks with 127 miles,
and O'Leary tops all the rest up to six days.

Perkins leads the records for one, two and three hours.

Since these records, the "go-as-you-please" race has been introduced,
where walking and running are used ad libitum, and
the distances gone in given times has steadily risen. George
Hazael leads the record with 133 miles in 24 hours, not likely
ever to be beaten, and Frank Hart has passed them all, by
running 565 miles in six days.

The general excellence of records in these matches steadily
improves, and where there were only two men in the first
match who made 500 miles or over—Vaughan and O'Leary—we
have lately seen no less than eight men beat 500 miles out
of a field of sixty starters, and nine men beat 450 miles in the
same time.

The total distance made by O'Leary when he won the first
match of this sort was 520 miles and a fraction, most of it
walked, but since then the runners have passed him beginning
with Corkey, who made a fraction of a mile more in less time.
Then Blower Brown did 542 miles, and people called him a
marvel, till a few weeks later Weston ran 550 miles in the
same time. Since that, the limit has been passed by Brown,
in the last English match, where he made 553 miles, and
by Hart as above. Rowell, the luckiest of lucky pedestrians,
who has made an independent fortune out of his two
muscular legs, has not had to make any very remarkable
records to win the $40,000 that he carried away from Madison
Square Garden. He won his first race by 500 miles and his
second by a nominal 530, which proved to be only 523 on account
of a short track. An overrated man; his successes[43]
have arisen from the fact that he has always taken better men
than himself at a disadvantage in point of condition, and so
has won an easy victory. Before he can be rated as the foremost
pedestrian, he will have to beat Hart's best record.

This brief sketch of the records of pedestrianism is given to
furnish our readers with a standard of comparison by which
to estimate the value of their own performances, and a short
abstract of the shorter distances will be found convenient for
use.

ABSTRACT.

Ten yards per second has been done by sprinters up to
220 yards.

A mile has been run in 4m. 17s.

Ten miles has been run in 51m. 20s.

Twenty miles in 1h. 57m. 27s.

A mile has been walked in 6m. 23s., but only once, by the
same man who walked 8 1-11 miles in one hour, 15 1-2 miles
in two hours, 22 1-4 miles in three hours.

These records should be kept in the memory as convenient,
so that the amateur may gauge his own powers correctly by
the best professional work.

The sport of Jumping is one of those most beneficial to the
health and muscles of any commonly practiced. It is divided
into three branches: 1, Standing Jumps; 2, Running Jumps;
3, Pole-Leaping.

Standing jumps are either high or broad, the latter being
the most common. The secret of making a high standing
jump consists in standing sidewise to the bar or tape, and
throwing the body over as if vaulting with one hand, arching
the back inward as much as possible. The best standing high
jumper on record is E. W. Johnson, a Toronto man, now
keeper of the Baltimore Athletic Club Gymnasium. He
jumped a bar 5 feet 3 inches high, at the Caledonian Games,
at Baltimore, May 27, 1878. This beats the best English
records 5 inches. In jumping, Johnson leaves the ground
with the right foot first, as in the cut on next page, which
shows the direction in which his feet go over the bar. The
cut also shows the common leaping-bar and standards furnished
with holes three inches apart, in which pegs are stuck
to support the bar on the side opposite the jumper. If he
strikes it by accident it falls without hurting him, being merely
a light strip of pine scantling.

The standing broad jump is made straight forward into a
piece of soft earth which has been dug up for the purpose. It
is made with or without weights in the hands, and depends
on the strength of the thigh and calf of the jumper, and on
long practice.

STANDING HIGH JUMP

The best standing jump on record was made by James Emerick,
Oil City, Pa., Sept. 19, 1878. It was 13 feet 10 inches,
with weights; besides which, 13 feet 7 inches have been done
by an English professional, and 12 feet 2 1-2 inches by a California
amateur.

There is but little to say about the standing broad jump except
that practice makes perfect.

Running jumps are also high and broad. The high jump
is made over the bar figured in last chapter, but in a different[45]
manner. We have seen Johnson try to go over it sidewise,
as in his standing jump, but not with enough success to justify
his method. The running high jump then must be made
square to the bar, beginning with a slow run, quickened in
the last twenty steps, till both feet spurn the ground with
their utmost force and the leaper goes over the bar. Here,
also, there is very little to be said as to proper or improper
methods of leaping. Instinct teaches the right way for a high
leap better than anything else, and nothing but constant practice
will strengthen the muscles to enable the leaper to make
a good record.

The best high jump on record was made by an English
amateur, M. J. Brooks, an Oxford student, April 7, 1876. He
topped a bar 6 feet 2 1-2 inches, passing the best English
professionals by 3 inches and Johnson by 4 inches. The
best American amateur jump was made by a Columbia student,
Conover, in 1878, and is only 5 feet 6 3-4 inches—not
much compared with the English record.

The running broad jump is made with or without a spring
board, the only official records being those made without the
board, and off level ground. The best on record is English,
or rather Irish, amateur, John Lane, of the Dublin University
Athletic Club, having made 23 feet 1 1-2 inches, June 10, 1874.
The best American records are nearly two feet behind this
performance.

Pole-leaping is either high or broad, and in either case is a
very valuable accomplishment to acquire. With a pole, a
practiced athlete can make light of a six-foot wall, for its
hight is well within his powers. The art takes some time to
acquire, and is one that exercises every muscle of the body.

It calls first for a pole from six to nine feet in length, made
preferably of ash, as that is both light and tough.

To begin learning on this, the pupil rests one end on the
ground, and grasps the pole with both hands above his head.
Then, jumping up, he raises his body with bent arms, and
swings as far as he can. With a week's practice almost any
young man can learn to take a jump of eight or ten feet in
breadth from a standing position. To cross a broad ditch a
short run is taken and the pole is held differently.

The right hand grasps it above the head, thumb uppermost,
while the left hand holds it, thumb down, as high as the waist.
The pole is grasped higher up in proportion to the distance to
be cleared, beginning with small ones and slowly increasing
the length of pole, till it can be taken by the very end.

This becomes still more necessary in the high pole leap,
where eleven feet and an inch have been cleared in England.
To take such a leap requires at least a thirteen-foot pole.

In pole-leaping the weight of the body on the pole is sustained
by the arms, and the whole office of the legs is to en[46]able
the body to go high enough to carry the pole to a perpendicular.
The hight leaped is only limited by the possible
length of pole carried.

Pole-leaping is coming into fashion but slowly in America;
the best records being nearly a foot behind those of England,
where there is more practice of the kind. For a sportsman
in the country, pole-leaping is a very valuable accomplishment,
as it would save him many a ducking in ditches and
climb over fences.

In the chapter on athletic meetings will be found all the
rules that govern leaping contests for prizes, to which we refer
the reader.

The sport of Bicycling is one that has come into rapid favor
in this country since the advent of the English riders, who
have accomplished a thousand miles a week; and the only
drawback to its universal adoption is the first cost of the
machines. When that is reduced, as it will be, to about fifty
dollars, payable in installments like sewing machines, the bicycle
will become a favorite with the whole American population
as it is in England with the majority of middle class
young men.

Even now the fever is spreading rapidly thanks chiefly to
the efforts of Mr. Wentworth Rollins, the present king of bicyclists
in America. He sells machines to people he can
trust on installments and has a large stock of goods on hand
which he sells below the usual prices to beginners.

The pioneers of bicycling in the United States were the
Pope Manufacturing Company, who started factories and
schools in the cities of Boston and San Francisco, where the
fever started almost at the same time, but since that period
bicycling has spread to most of the large cities, and has training
schools in all.

There is but little information that can be given to an intending
bicycler except to recommend him not to buy a machine
till he has been at the school long enough to know the good and
bad points of every bicycle in the market.

The prices of bicycles range from $80 to $100, according to
size of wheel; the smallest being 42 inches in diameter, the
largest 60 inches. The best way to get enjoyment out of the
sport is to form a club of congenial spirits who will ride together.
A single bicyclist is apt to attract too much attention
in country places, and would often be insulted, where two or
three together would meet with a hearty welcome. Moreover,
company is elevating to the spirits.

For the use of bicycle clubs we subjoin the model rules of
the San Francisco club, which can hardly be excelled for
completeness and care. They are printed on strips of cardboard,
and carried by each member of a club for reference,
till he is perfectly familiar with them.

BICYCLING RULES.

Section 1.—The time named for a club excursion is the
exact time of the start, which will in all cases be punctually
observed. Members are therefore urgently requested to be at
the spot named at least ten minutes before, that they may arrange
themselves in order for the start and receive the instructions
of the leader as regards signals, and any other directions
that may be necessary.

Sec. 2.—At the sound of "Fall in," the members will arrange
themselves side by side upon the right of the road, with
bicycle facing inward, leaving a space of at least eight feet between
each man. At the sound of "Mount," the machines
will be turned in the direction of the proposed run, and the
company will mount, beginning at the front, each man before
he starts, being careful to see that the rider immediately in
front of him has safely reached the saddle, and proceeded at
least two revolutions.

Sec. 3.—As a general rule the company should ride two
abreast; but in towns and villages; in meeting and passing
vehicles (unless the road is broad); in riding up and down
hills, and where the road is bad and requires picking, single
file should be taken, the right-hand man always quickening,
and the left-hand man dropping in behind him.

Sec. 4.—When in single-file, an interval of at least four
bicycle lengths should be kept between each rider, and in
double-file, eight lengths between each pair. In approaching
a hill, whether up or down, the leading files should quicken
and the rear files slacken, so as to allow of the company extending
out to double distance, and on reaching the level they
should slacken and quicken respectively, until the original
interval is attained.

Sec. 5.—Dismounting should always be commenced from
the rear, each man passing the word forward as he reaches
the ground.

Sec. 6.—It is undesirable for a company to ride down a long
hill with a curve obstructing a view of the bottom. It is better
for the leader to advance alone until he sees that all is
clear, and then whistle the others on.

Sec. 7.—The ordinary rules of the road as regards the
passing of vehicles, etc., should be rigidly adhered to, as follows:

C—The ground in front of a horse should not be taken until
the bicyclist is at least ten yards ahead of him.

D—A horse should never be passed on both sides at once.

E—A led horse should always be passed on the same side as
the man who is leading it.

F—Before overtaking a rider, it is well to give some sort of
a warning. When alone, a short cough will generally suffice.
In company-riding, a word to your companion will attract the
necessary attention. The mere sound of a human voice is
often all that is wanted to prevent a horse from starting at
the sudden passage of the noiseless machine.

G—If a horse on meeting a bicycle, shows signs of restiveness,
the leader should order a dismount at his discretion
(even if he himself has passed the horse), and should invariably
do so on any signal or request from the driver or horseman.

H—In company-riding, the leader, on passing any one (whether
driving, riding or walking,) should announce that others
are following close after, and the rear man should in the same
way signify that all have passed.

I—Inattention to these and other rules and courtesies of
the road will cause annoyance to the public, and create prejudice
against bicycling.

SIGNALS.

Sec. 8.—The following signals will be used when on a run
in company, to preserve order and insure against accident:

Fall in—One long whistle.

Mount—One short whistle.

Dismount and Halt—Two short whistles.

Dismount and Walk—Two long whistles.

Form Twos—Two short whistles three times.

Form Single File—Three short well separated whistles.

Extend Line—One short and one long whistle three times.

Close Up Line—One long and one short whistle three times.

Quicken Speed—Three short whistles three times.

Slacken Speed—One long whistle.

Ride at Ease—Two short and one long whistle three times.

Danger—Look out when signaled from front to rear—six or
more short whistles; accident when signaled from rear to
front—six or more short whistles.

To make this work as complete as possible, we have resolved
to insert the best models of rules for athletic meetings
of all kinds, founded on those of the N. Y. Athletic Club.
This association is the largest in the country and has always
been successful in its meetings, which have passed off without
a single fiasco on record. Its rules can therefore hardly
be unworthy of imitation and have in fact been the model for
those of all successful athletic clubs.

These rules we therefore print below. They cover, as
will be seen, all sorts of athletic sports which do not need
other description.

Officers.—The officers of an athletic meeting shall be: One
clerk of the course, with assistants, if necessary; one starter;
one judge of walking, with assistants, if necessary; one
scorer, with assistants, if necessary; three timekeepers;
three judges at the finish; three measurers; one referee.

Clerk of the Course.—He shall record the name of each competitor
who shall report to him; shall give him his number
for each game in which he is entered, and notify him, five
minutes before the start, of every event in which he is engaged.
The assistants shall do such portions of his work as
he may assign to them.

Starter.—He shall have entire control of competitors at
their marks; shall strictly enforce Law 3, and shall be the
sole judge of fact as to whether or no any man has gone over
his mark. His decision in such cases shall be final and without
appeal.

Judge of Walking.—He shall have entire control of competitors
during the race; shall strictly enforce Law 8, and his
decision as to unfair walking shall be final and without appeal.
The assistants shall do such portion of his work as he
may assign to them.

Scorer.—He shall record the laps made by each competitor,
and call them aloud when tallied, for the information of the
contestants. He shall record the order of finishing and the
times of the competitors in walking and running races. The
assistants shall do such portions of his work as he may assign
to them.

Timekeepers.—Each of the three timekeepers shall time every
event, and in case of disagreement the average of the three[50]
shall be the official time. Time to be taken from the flash of
the pistol.

Judges at the Finish.—Two shall stand at one end of the
tape, and the third at the other. One shall take the winner,
another the second man, and the other the third man; they
shall also note the distances between the first three as they
finish. In case of disagreement the majority shall decide.
Their decisions as to the order in which the men finish shall
be final and without appeal.

Measurers.—They shall measure and record each trial of
each competitor in all games whose record is one of distance
or hight. Their decision as to the performance of each man
shall be final and without appeal.

Referee.—He shall, when appealed to, decide all questions
whose settlement is not provided for in these rules, and his
decision shall be final and without appeal.

Competitors.—Immediately on arriving at the grounds each
competitor shall report to the clerk of the course, and receive
his number for the game in which he is entered. He shall inform
himself of the times at which he must compete, and will
report promptly at the start, without waiting to be notified.
No competitor allowed to start without his proper number.

Inner Grounds.—No person whatsoever allowed inside the
track except the officials and properly accredited representatives
of the press. The authorized persons will wear a badge,
and intruders will be promptly ejected. Competitors not engaged
in the game actually taking place will not be allowed
inside or upon the track.

LAWS.

1. Attendants.—No attendants shall accompany a competitor
on the scratch or in the race.

2. Starting Signals.—All races (except time handicaps) shall
be started by report of pistol fired behind the competitors. A
miss fire shall be no start. There shall be no recall after the
pistol is fired. Time handicaps shall be started by the word
"Go."

3. Starting.—When the starter receives a signal from the
judges at the finish that everything is in readiness he shall
direct the competitors to get on their marks. Any competitor
starting before the signal shall be put back one yard, for
the second offense two yards, and for the third shall be disqualified.
He shall be held to have started when any portion
of his body touches the ground in front of his mark. Stations
count from the inside.

4. Keeping Proper Course.—In all races on a straight track,
each competitor shall keep his own position on the course
from start to finish.

5. Change of Course.—In all races on other than a straight
track, a competitor may change toward the inside whenever
he is two steps ahead of the man whose path he crosses.

6. Fouling.—Any competitor shall be disqualified for willfully
jostling, running across, or in any way impeding another.

7. Finish.—A thread shall be stretched across the track at
the finish, four feet above the ground. It shall not be held by
the judges, but be fastened to the finish posts on either side,
so that it may always be at right angles to the course and
parallel to the ground. The finish line is not this thread, but
the line on the ground drawn across the track from post to
post and the thread is intended merely to assist the judges in
their decision. The men shall be placed in the order in which
they cross the finish line.

8. Walking.—The judge shall caution for any unfair walking,
and the third caution shall disqualify the offender. On
the last lap an unfair walker shall be disqualified without
previous caution.

9. Hurdles.—The regular hurdle race shall be 120 yards,
over 10 hurdles, each 3ft. 6in. high. The first hurdle shall be
placed 15 yards from the scratch, and there shall be 10 yards
between each hurdle. There may be (by special announcement)
hurdle races of different distances and with different
number and length of hurdles.

10. Jumping.—No weights or artificial aid will be allowed
in any jumping contest except by special agreement or announcement.
When weights are allowed there shall be no
restriction as to size, shape, or material.

11. Running High Jump.—The hight of the bar at starting
and at each successive elevation, shall be determined by a
majority of the qualified competitors. In case of a tie the
referee shall decide. Three tries allowed at each hight. Each
competitor shall make one attempt in the order of his name
on the programme; then those that have failed, if any, shall
have a second trial in regular order, and those failing on this
trial shall then take their final trial. Displacing the bar and
nothing else, counts as a "try." A competitor may omit his
trials at any hight, but if he fails at the next hight he shall
not be allowed to go back and try the hight which he omitted.

12. Pole-Leaping.—The rules for this game shall be the same
as those of the running high jump.

13. Hitch-and-Kick.—The competitors are allowed unlimited
run, but must spring, kick, alight, and hop twice with the
same foot. The hight of the object at starting and at each
successive elevation, shall be determined by a majority of the
qualified competitors. In case of a tie the referee shall decide.[52]
Three tries allowed at each hight. Each competitor
shall make one attempt in the order of his name on the programme;
then those who have failed, if any, shall have a
second trial in regular order, and those failing on this trial
shall then take their final trial. Hitting the object, and
nothing else, counts as a kick, and kicking higher than the
object without hitting it is not a kick. Springing from the
ground counts as a try. A competitor may omit his trials at
any hight, but if he fail at the next hight he shall not be allowed
to go back and try the hight which he omitted.

14. Standing High Jump.—The competitors may stand as
they please, but must jump from the first spring. The hight
of the bar at starting and at each successive elevation, shall be
determined by a majority of the qualified competitors. In
case of a tie the referee shall decide. Three tries allowed at
each hight. Each competitor shall make one attempt in the
order of his name on the programme; then those who have
failed, if any, shall have a second trial in regular order, and
those failing on this trial shall then take their final trial.
Displacing the bar and nothing else, counts as a "try." A
competitor may omit his trials at any hight, but if he fail at
the next hight he shall not be allowed to go back and try the
hight which he omitted.

15. Running Wide Jump.—The competitors shall have unlimited
run, but must take off behind the scratch. Stepping
any part of the foot over the scratch in an attempt shall be
"no jump," but shall count as a "try." Each competitor allowed
three trials, and the best three men have three more
trials each. Each competitor shall be credited with the best
of all his jumps. The measurement shall be from the scratch
line in front of the jumper's feet to the nearest break of the
ground made by any part of his person. The same rules
govern running hop step and jump, and all similar games.

16. Standing Wide Jump.—Competitors must jump from the
first spring. Stepping any part of the foot over the scratch
in an attempt shall be "no jump," but shall count as a "try."
Each competitor allowed three trials, and the best three men
have three more trials each. Each competitor shall be credited
with the best of all his jumps. The measurement shall be
from the scratch line in front of the jumper's feet to the
nearest break of the ground made by any part of his person.
The same rules govern standing three jumps, standing hop,
step and jump, and all similar games.

17. Putting the Shot.—The shot shall be a solid iron sphere
weighing 16 lbs. It shall be put from the shoulder with one
hand, from between two parallel lines, 7 ft. apart. Touching
the ground outside either line with any part of person, before
the shot alights, shall make the attempt "no put," which[53]
counts as a "try." Each competitor allowed three trials, and
the best three men have three more trials each. Each competitor
shall be credited with the best of all his puts. The
measurement shall be from the nearest break of the ground
made by the ball, perpendicularly to the scratch line, extended,
if necessary, to meet this perpendicular.

18. Throwing the Hammer.—The hammer-head shall be a
solid iron sphere, weighing 16 lbs., the handle shall be of
hickory wood, and the length of hammer and handle, over all,
shall be 3 ft, 6 in. The competitor shall stand at and behind
the scratch, facing as he pleases, and throw with either or
both hands. Touching the ground in front of the scratch
with any portion of the person, before the hammer alights,
shall make the attempt "no throw," which counts as a "try."
Letting go of the hammer in an attempt counts as a "try."
Each competitor allowed three trials, and the best three men
have three more trials each. Each competitor shall be credited
with the best of all his throws. If the head strike first the
measurement shall be from the nearest break of the ground
made by it. If the handle strikes first, one length of the hammer
shall be allowed from the mark made by the end of the
handle toward the mark made by the head of the hammer,
and the measurement shall be from this point. The measurement
shall be to the scratch line half-way between the thrower's
feet.

19. Throwing the Hammer with a Run.—The hammer-head
shall be a solid iron sphere, weighing 16 lbs., the handle shall
be of hickory wood, and the length of hammer and handle
over all shall be 3 ft. 6 in. Unlimited run is allowed, and the
competitor may deliver the hammer as he pleases. Letting
go of the hammer in an attempt counts as "a try." Each
competitor allowed three trials, and the best three men have
three more trials each. Each competitor shall be credited
with the best of all his throws. If the head strikes first, the
measurement shall be from the nearest break of the ground
made by it. If the handle strikes first, one length of the
hammer shall be allowed from the mark made by the end of
the handle, toward the mark made by the head of the hammer,
and the measurement shall be from this point. The
measurement shall be to the nearest footprint at the delivery.
The footprints of the competitors shall be effaced after each
throw.

20. Throwing Fifty-six Pound Weight.—This shall be of solid
iron, and any shape of weight and handle is allowed, provided
the whole weighs 56 lbs. The competitor will stand
at and behind the scratch, facing as he pleases, grasping the
weight by the handle, and shall throw it with one hand.
Touching the ground in front of the scratch with any portion[54]
of the person, before the weight alights, shall make the attempt
"no throw," which counts as "a try." Letting go of
the weight in an attempt shall count as "a try." Each competitor
allowed three trials, and the best three men have three
more trials each. Each competitor shall be credited with the
best of all his throws. The measurement shall be from the
scratch line (in front of the thrower's left foot), to the nearest
break of the ground made by the weight, exclusive of handle.

21. Tossing the Caber.—The length of the caber to be 16 ft.,
the diameter at the thick end not more than 8 in., and at the
small end not more than 4 in. The caber must be held by the
small end, and tossed over so that the small end shall fall and
remain beyond the butt. The competitors shall have unlimited
run, but must take off behind the scratch. Stepping any
part of the foot over the scratch in an attempt shall be "no
toss," but shall count as "a try." Each competitor allowed
three trials, and the best three men have three more trials
each. Each competitor shall be credited with the best of all
his tosses. The measurement shall be from the small end of
the caber perpendicularly to the scratch line, extended, if necessary,
to meet this perpendicular.

22. Throwing the Ball (Lacrosse, Cricket, or Base-ball).—The
lacrosse ball shall be thrown from the lacrosse, the cricket
and base-ball from the hand. The competitors shall have unlimited
run, but must take off behind the scratch. Touching
the ground in front of the scratch-line with any part of the
person before the ball alights, shall make the attempt "no
throw," which shall count as "a try." Each competitor allowed
three trials, and the best three men have three more
trials each. Each competitor shall be credited with the best
of all his throws. To facilitate the measurement, a line shall
be drawn parallel to and 300 ft. in front of the scratch-line.
The measurement shall be from the nearest break of the
ground made by the ball, perpendicularly to the measuring
line, extended, if necessary, to meet this perpendicular.

23. Tug-of-War.—In tug-of-war the following rules will be
observed: (1.) The side creases to be 12 ft. from the center
crease. (2.) The mark on the rope to be over the center crease
when the word "heave" is given, and the team hauling that
mark over the crease on its own side to be the winners. (3.)
No footing holes to be made before the start. (4.) The contestants
to wear socks, slippers, boots or shoes without spikes.
(5.) The rope to be 1 1-2 in. in diameter. (6.) Immediately
before the contest the captains of all the contesting teams
shall draw their numbers. (7.) Not less than five minutes
shall be allowed each team between heats. (8.) Captains shall
toss for choice of sides before each pull. But if the same two
teams pull more than once during the day, they shall change[55]
ends at each successive pull. (9.) With two teams, they shall
pull best 2 in 3. With three teams, one and two shall pull,
then two and three, and three and one. With four teams,
one and two shall pull, then three and four, and the winners
pull the final. With five teams, first round, one and two,
three and four, five has a bye; second round, winner of first
heat pulls with five, and the winner of this heat pulls the
final with the winner of second heat of first round. With six
teams, first round, one and two, three and four, five and six;
second round, winner of first and second heats. Winner of
this heat pulls the final with winner of third heat, first round.
Where more than six teams are entered, the arrangement of
trials shall be on the same principle as in the above examples.

24. Bicycling.—When ordered into position for a start the
men shall mount their machines, and one assistant for each
competitor will hold his machine with its front wheel at the
mark; at the starting signal the attendants are allowed to
push the machine forward but not to follow it up. Riders
must pass each other on the outside, and be a clear length of
the bicycle in front before taking the inside; the inside man
must allow room on the outside for other competitors to pass.
Any competitor infringing this rule will be disqualified. In
a race without using the handles, competitors must ride with
the arms folded, or the hands and arms otherwise kept quite
off the machine. Any competitor touching any part of his
machine with his hands or arms will be disqualified. The
Laws of Athletes govern all points not above specified.

In case there are any of our readers who think the above
rules too long and complicated, we recommend for their use
the much simpler and almost equally comprehensive English
rules which follow.

1. No attendant to accompany a competitor on the scratch
or in the race.

2. Any competitor starting before the word, to be put back
one yard, at the discretion of the starter. On a repetition of
the offense, to be disqualified.

3. All races to start by report of pistol.

4. In hurdle-races each competitor to keep his own hurdles
throughout the race.

5. In sprint racing each runner to keep his own course.

6. Jostling, running across, or willfully obstructing another,
so as to impede his progress, to disqualify the offender from
further competitions.

7. All cases of dispute to be referred to the committee of
management at the time.

8. The decision of the judges in all competitions to be
final.

9. In pole leaping and high jumping, three tries allowed
at each hight. The hight at each successive elevation to be
determined by the majority of the competitors. Displacing
the bar only to count as a try.

10. In broad jumping and weight putting, three tries allowed.
In hammer throwing, two tries allowed. The three
best competitors of the first trials to be allowed three more
tries each for the final. The furthest throw of the five attempts,
and put or jump of the six attempts, to win.

11. In hammer throwing and weight putting, the length of
the run to be limited to 7ft. The weight to be delivered from
the shoulder.

12. In broad jumping and weight putting, crossing the
scratch-line in the attempt to count as "no try," and in hammer
throwing as "no throw."

13. "No tries" and "no throws" count as tries.

14. The weight of the hammer and weight to be 16lbs.
each.

15. The length from end of the handle of the hammer to
the bottom of the sphere to be 3ft. 6in. over all.

16. No put or throw to count if the weight or hammer be
delivered or followed with any part of the body touching the
ground over the mark. All puts and throws to be measured
from the edge of the pitch nearest the scratch-line to the
scratch-line, and at right angles with the same.

17. In hurdle races, the hight of the hurdles when fixed to
be 3ft. 6in., measured perpendicularly from the ground to the
top bar.

Inasmuch as this game has become a popular pastime in
America we have thought it best to make our handbook complete
by giving a short account of the sport and its success in
this country.

Hare and Hounds is an old pastime of English schools,
and it is essentially a healthy game, good for boys and young
men. It requires only one thing, plenty of good runners; and
all young fellows are fond of running. Two of the fleetest of
the club are chosen for "Hares" and provided with a sack
full of scraps of paper for "scent." The rest of the club are
"Hounds." The Hares are allowed ten or fifteen minutes'
start, and set off across the country, dropping scraps as they
go, throwing a handful behind them every hundred feet and
scattering gradually. It is their object to get out of sight as
soon as possible. The Hounds are put on the trail at the
sound of a horn, and have to catch the Hares if they can.
This is the whole of the game.

The first Hare and Hounds Club in America was organized
in 1878 in Westchester county, New York, and held its first
meeting on Thanksgiving Day of that year.

The field-captain of the club is also called the "pace-maker;"
and he and the lieutenants—who are denominated
"whippers in"—keep the Hounds together and prevent
the pack from straggling. The "Hounds" must follow the
"scent" and are not allowed to cut off corners after the
"Hares."

Since the organization of this club several others have been
started, but the Westchester club continues to be the most
successful, holding meetings on all holidays when the mud is
not too heavy for good running.

As practiced, Hare and Hounds clubs generally have a uniform
suitable for running. That of the Westchester club is
a scarlet jacket, black knee-breeches or Knickerbockers and
black cap. This is a good running dress and should be followed
in its general features, though any colors are admissible.
Knee-breeches are preferable to trowsers on every account,
as they do not cramp the knee in running.

The latest improvement in the game is the introduction of
two colors in the paper thrown for scent. The Hares drop
white paper when they go out, and red paper on the return
home.

The game is an excellent one for young men and boys, and
can be followed anywhere, with or without uniforms. The
less frippery they indulge in the more will Americans like
the sport.

Red jackets can be replaced by red shirts, which cost less
and are lighter to run in. If the members of the club cannot
afford to buy knee-breeches, they can probably alter old pantaloons
into the necessary shape, and in the case of boys below
twelve the common fashion of Knickerbockers saves all trouble.

In forming Hare and Hounds Clubs, as in Walking Clubs,
it is advisable that the members should be equal in physical
strength, when selected, to insure good runs and general satisfaction.
If a hundred boys at some public school should
wish to form clubs, it would be better to make at least two—one
of large, the other of small boys—than to consolidate
them. If both run together, the little fellows are sure to drop
out in disgust when the others force the pace beyond
their abilities, while the large boys will grumble at having to
wait for the little ones. Clubs of small boys can be called
"Beagles" to distinguish them from the larger "Hounds,"
and can enjoy a run as much as any one.

We repeat here—the less frippery indulged in by way of
uniform, the better, though all should dress alike, so as to be
recognized a long way off. A white band round the cap,
with the letters of the club name, is enough to show out at a
distance; and the captain could have a different colored cap
to distinguish him. The Westchester club is composed of
young men in good circumstances, and they can afford velvet
collars and gold tassels. The less of these that our schoolboys
affect, the better for the success of the club.

The pastime of archery, once the national sport of England,
has in late years experienced a sudden and remarkable
revival, both in that country and the United States. In England,
as a revived amusement it became popular about the beginning
of the reign of Queen Victoria; but in that country it
has never been more than the pastime of a few dilettanti, the
ladies forming the greatest portion of every gathering. In the
United States it has only become a recognized sport within the
last few years, the archery fever dating from the month of July,
1877, when Mr. Maurice Thompson issued his first illustrated
article on the subject in Scribner's Monthly. Since that time
this gentleman and his brother William have roused a great interest
in the subject, and have superintended or instigated the
foundation of a number of archery clubs in the various sections
of the Union. The new sport spread so rapidly that in
1879 these clubs sent delegates to a grand archers' congress in
Chicago, where they held a successful and well-attended
meeting which bids fair to be repeated yearly and has roused
enthusiasm for archery all over the Union.

The secret of this success lies in the fact that the brothers
Thompson have appealed to the practical side of the American
character in their plea for archery. They have shown
that as an amusement it is cheap and healthful, giving the
best of exercise in the open air. They have further shown that
as a means of sport in the pursuit of game it has many advantages
over the shot-gun, and these advantages are so well
stated by Maurice Thompson in his first paper that we cannot
do better than to reproduce them.

He says: "If you can keep the shot-gunners away, three
or four miles of a well-stocked stream will afford two archers
plenty of sport for a whole season. Hunting them with the
bow does not drive the birds off to other haunts; but the
sound of a gun soon depopulates a stream, whether any duck
be killed or not. * * * * * * * *

"I do not wish to put in a special plea for archery, but I
venture to say that no man or woman who cares at all for
out-door sport can resist its fascination after he has once
mastered its first difficulties. I have yet to find a person so
grave and dignified that archery could not coax him into a
bending humor. Indeed the bow is the natural weapon of man,
and it affords him the most perfect physical and mental recreative
exercise that can be conceived of. It is to the mind and
body what music and poetry are to the soul—it trains them
to the highest degree of healthfulness and strength.

ARCHER'S POSITION

"I do not decry angling and gunning, except that the latter
is too destructive of game. I am an enthusiastic "disciple of[61]
the rod," but whenever I cast a fly or troll a minnow my
long-bow is near at hand, and a well-filled quiver at my side.
You cannot combine gunning and angling on account of the
weight of the gun and accouterments, and still more because
the noise of firearms is sure to render timid fish sullen. I
have known the bass in a well-stocked pool utterly to refuse[62]
the most tempting bait through an entire day, for nothing
more than a pistol-shot fired close by. The twang of a bowstring
seems to frighten nothing. It was the old first note of
music made by Apollo."

Nothing that we could add to this little abstract of the advantages
would tell the story more neatly and clearly, therefore
we shall at once proceed to the practical part of the art.

The first thing necessary for archery practice is to secure a
good bow and arrows. Till within a year, Philip Highfield of
London was known as the best "bowyer" or bow-maker in
the world; but since the advent of the American archery fever,
Horstmann Brothers of New York have succeeded in making
a line of archery goods that are pronounced by the Brothers
Thompson to be equal in every respect to the best English
make; and Peck and Snyder of New York have also turned
out good work. The best bows of lemonwood, yew, or snakewood,
cost $10; while the best target arrows are worth $9 a
dozen; and Thompson's model hunting arrows are worth $3
a dozen. The other paraphernalia (targets, quivers etc.) may
be home made; but it is poor economy to buy cheap bows
and arrows. The targets are made of plaited straw, covered
with canvas, and contain four rings, which count as follows:
Bulls-eye 9; first ring 7; second ring 5; third ring 3; outside
ring 1.

In archery meetings two targets are used, facing each other
at any distance: the archers stand by one target and shoot at
the other, any number of arrows agreed on. When all have
shot, they walk over to the target, pick out their arrows and
shoot back at the first target, combining walking and shooting.
The maximum distance is eighty yards between targets,
the minimum twenty.

The dress for an archer should be close, with no fluttering
skirts to entangle the bowstring, and the secrets of position
and accuracy are thus laid down by archery authorities.
Roger Ascham, who wrote in Queen Elizabeth's time, says:

"The first point is, when a man should shoot, to take such
footing and standing as shall be both comely to the eye and
profitable to his use, setting his countenance and all other
parts of his body after such a behavior and port, that both all
his strength may be employed to his own most advantage and
his shot made and handled to other men's pleasure and delight.
A man must not go too hastily to it, for that is rashness,
nor yet make too much to do about it, for that is curiosity;
the one foot must not stand too far from the other, lest
he stoop too much, which is unseemly, nor yet too near together,
lest he stand too straight up, for so a man shall neither
use his strength well, nor yet stand steadfastly. The mean
betwixt both must be kept, a thing more pleasant to behold
when it is done, than easy to be taught how it should be
done."

"A little care at first will save you a great deal of trouble
and annoyance. When you begin to shoot, learn at once to
stand firmly on your feet, the left slightly advanced, the head
easily poised, the upper portion of the body gently inclined
forward, and the shoulders neither lifted nor drooped. Hold
the bow vertically with the left hand, the arm extended
straight. Nock the arrow well on the string, draw with all
the fingers of your right hand till you feel your right ear, fix
your eyes steadily on the target and let fly. The arrow rests
on the left hand, and is drawn to the head. The nock end of
the shaft is held between the first and second fingers of the
right hand and upon the string, which is drawn to the right
ear by all the fingers being hooked stiffly over it. The release
must be smart and clear, giving the arrow a strong, even
flight.

"Never try to take aim when shooting, but fix your eyes
steadily on the mark, and guide your arrow by your sense of
direction.

"Squeeze the bow-handle with the left hand. You cannot
hold it too fast. Draw quickly and evenly. Let go without,
'bobbling' or tremor."

In a little story written by William Thompson (the brother
of Maurice and the champion archer of the Union) there is a
still more valuable piece of advice as to how to take aim. He
makes one of the characters, who has hitherto always been
unsuccessful at a target, hit on the secret, which he tells his
friend. It is virtually as follows:

"After nocking the arrow, draw it up to the right ear with the
right hand, and hold it there as if it was screwed fast. Think no
more of your right hand, but point your left fist at the target
and let fly."

This tells the secret of archery better than an elaborate
treatise. The aim is taken with the left arm, not the right.
Target shooting is, however, a bad school for learning to shoot
at game, and here again Maurice Thompson comes in with
his invaluable practical hints on the subject. He says:

"One who is trained to aim at a large, graduated target,
either with gun or bow, can rarely shoot well at game. The
reason is that in target shooting at a fixed distance he gets
used to a certain size, color, and condition of background, and
when he gets into the woods and lifts his bow to draw on a bird
or a hare, his accustomed rings and dark background are not
there. His vision is blurred, he draws waveringly and shoots
indifferently. A black rubber ball four inches in diameter,
suspended in mid-air by a string fastened to the low limb of
an apple-tree, makes a first-rate substitute for a bird, and a
small bag of straw, placed flat on the ground and shot at at
about twenty-five yards, makes good hare practice. You will[64]
soon learn the great advantage of not using the same distance
all the time, as in the game of archery. For, after all, a bowman's
skill is scarcely worthy of admiration if it is confined
to a fixed range."

A few words about the strength of bows, and we have said
enough for the purposes of a little handbook.

Bows are graduated by the number of pounds' weight required
to bend them. Ladies' bows range from fourteen to
thirty pounds pull, while gentlemen can take from forty to
sixty pound bows. The heaviest bows should be used for
hunting purposes, but for target practice at short range a
bow under your strength is recommended, as it is easier to
take aim with such a weapon than with one that tasks all
your force merely to bend it.